Last Call
by trolltasm
Summary: Sarah, Jareth decides, is boring. So boring that he decides he has to do something. Preferably something to bring Sarah back. The Sarah he sees now doesn't talk back, doesn't fight for what she wants, and doesn't care about her dreams. And Sarah... Well, she never did fully leave the Labyrinth. Not in the ways that mattered. On a tentative hiatus; no ETA on if/when it'll continue
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This takes place 12 years after the movie so we're in the late 90s now and Sarah is 28. Jareth, of course, is Jareth and who knows how old he actually is? Pff._

* * *

Sarah, Jareth decided, had become _boring_.

He'd given the girl everything, once. He'd offered her the universe, given her a taste of all he'd commanded, and yet in the end, it hadn't been enough for Ms. Sarah Williams. She'd simply taken what she wanted and left... a very Sarah thing to do, he'd decided later, after she'd left, after she'd thrown him away.

And _this_ was what she'd done with her life after all of that?

He clenched his claws into the tree limb he'd perched on, tufting to himself because it was the closest owl approximation of the sneer he'd have made if he'd been in his normal body.

Sarah hadn't become an actress like she'd dreamed. Nor had she become a director, writer, or some other creator involved with the movie process.

No, his Sarah had evidently become some sort of human servant _to_ an actress. He'd heard the title dropped more than once of 'personal assistant,' but it meant so little to him that he'd disregarded it almost out of hand.

What irony. He'd asked her to do as _he_ bade and he would do the same in turn, and yet she'd rejected _him _out of hand... only to come and do the same thing.

But then, Sarah had always been a contrary creature and she'd always done her best to drive him crazy from the moment her hand had first touched his enchanted book.

Still, it was infuriating to see the proud girl he'd once known become a woman who deferred to others, who bit her tongue instead of saying what she'd truly thought. Sarah had not held back so with him, oh no.

Would she change her approach with him now?

The temptation was stronger than he could push away, now that he'd allowed himself to consider the idea. What would Sarah do now, some twelve years later, if he suddenly appeared in her world?

.

Sarah Williams was _exhausted_.

Keeping up with Penelope LaRue was worse than keeping up with a toddler. Though Penelope was nearly four years her senior, the woman was flighty at the best of times and an outright disaster at the worst. She was both needing of men and yet so unwilling to compromise in her relationships that she flittered in and out of them—and sometimes back _into_ them—so quickly that Sarah had all but given up any hope of trying to remember which one Penelope was currently dating—and which one(s) she was currently bitching about.

For all her moodiness and flightiness, Penelope wasn't cruel and she wasn't mean, so Sarah saw fit to simply grin and bear it. Penelope paid well—very well in fact—and after her failed attempts at auditioning herself, Sarah wasn't in a place to be picky. L.A. wasn't a forgiving place to be broke and it was either this or wait tables or end up working at some topless bar.

Penelope was reliable, at least, and paid Sarah on time and Sarah got the added perk of residing in a small garden house on Penelope's very large estate. And Penelope was good natured when it came to her staff and she genuinely seemed to care about everyone she employed, even if it sometimes came off as self-absorbed or arrogant.

And Sarah got to travel, a lot. They were currently filming in the middle of the Canadian wilderness and before that, she'd been in Hawaii with Penelope for several weeks for filming several episodes for a show the actress was guest-starring in.

But some days, it almost wasn't worth it. Such as today.

Filming had just begun on Penelope's latest blockbuster, one she was co-starring in with a former lover, Alec Jamison. Alec hadn't been the most recent to break Penelope's heart, but the two had gotten hot and heavy in the trailer or the closet or anywhere else they could find on the last move they'd starred in together... Only for Alec to simply walk away the moment filming was done.

To be fair, Sarah thought, wincing at the word, she'd have been pissed, too, so she couldn't entirely fault Penelope for being upset.

But that had been two years ago and evidently Penelope was still holding a grudge. She had the work ethic not to bring it on the set with her, but the moment she was off, the hostilities began and woe be any of the film crew who crossed her path before she reached her trailer. She'd broken several props hurling them at Alec, one of which he'd been unable to dodge and had left him with a black eye the makeup artist hadn't been able to entirely hide. Filming on Alec's scenes would either have to be done from one side to hide the swelling or delayed a few days to allow him to recover.

It was, therefore, a relief when the producers announced they'd be hiring a specialist to ensure the film was produced on time. Not that anyone was fooled; the specialist was actually a fixer and he was there simply to keep things cordial between Alec and Penelope so that filming would continue unfettered—much to everyone's relief. The movie was a romantic tear-jerker, and everyone was more than a little concerned about how the lovemaking scene was going to play out.

Penelope had been back in the makeup room between scenes when the specialist was arrived and so Sarah had missed his arrival.

It had only been later, when Penelope was back on camera opposite Alec that Sarah had caught a glimpse of the so-called specialist.

And she'd had to lock her knees to keep herself standing when she wanted to stumble over to a chair in surprise.

The specialist looked exactly like Jareth—exactly like the hallucinations she had worked so hard to forget all those years ago...

Or, at least, how that man _might_ have looked if he'd been real. The man before her now had blond hair that was longer than was fashionable these days for men, hanging down past his shoulders. He'd evidently attempted to appeal to current fashion trends as it had been pulled back in a ponytail and smoothed down to lay flat against his head. He wore a tight white shirt with a leather jacket and tight jeans and completed the look with black leather shoes. He had sunglasses on his face so she couldn't see his eye color but she could easily picture him with green or blue eyes. All in all, she estimated him to be in his mid to late thirties, though she couldn't quite guess his nationality by appearance alone.

He was lovely, in a reserved, modern-era sort of way, but it was a loveliness she was determined to ignore.

But for a moment, she saw a man with wild blond hair and a flamboyant outfit, complete with an elegant cape. As soon as she blinked, the image was gone.

She shook her head, determined to forget what she'd seen. It wasn't him, what happened wasn't real, and the sooner she remembered that, the better.

The man before her had the audacity to wink at her as he noticed her stare and walked over to greet her. "Hello, Sarah," he purred in a British accent that had an undeniable appeal. "I understand that you are the personal assistant for Ms. LaRue."

It wasn't a question but she forced herself to nod anyway, licking her lips at how dry they suddenly were. "I am," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "You're the specialist, right?"

_Just breathe, Sarah. He's not the same man; he can't be. The labyrinth and the goblins and him—they weren't real!_

"Indeed I am. Justin Lawrence, at your service." He held out his hand and she took it, surprised by the firmness of his grip and the calluses on his hand. Somehow she'd expected to encounter smooth skin.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lawrence," she said as he released her hand. "Penelope will be glad you're here."

Or, at least, Penelope had claimed she was when she'd heard the news. Sarah didn't care to guess if the actress had meant it and Penelope wasn't saying anything more about the situation currently.

He grinned. "Justin, please." He unscrewed the lid off of the bottle of water he'd been carrying and took a sip before continuing. "I understand you know more about the current circumstances, Sarah. Would you be so kind as to fill me in tonight after filming ends? I apologize in advance for the short notice and for adding to your already long day, but I'm afraid I can't be much help until I know more."

Sarah forced herself to look away and focus on the set instead. They were far enough away that light conversation wouldn't be picked up by the microphones, but that didn't mean no one would hear them.

"I really can't give you anything useful, Mr. Lawrence," she said, ignoring the click of his tongue at his obvious disapproval of her use of his last name. "Ms. LaRue doesn't really tell me much about her personal life. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask her."

She felt a shiver down her spine at the lie, as if he'd somehow known she wasn't telling him the truth.

"I see." The two words were full of disappointment. "You won't help anyone by not being truthful, Sarah."

The admonishment was sharper than she'd expected.

"Who says I'm not being truthful?" she deflected. The sooner this man realized he wasn't getting anything useful out of her, the sooner he'd leave. Penelope needed help, sure, but she wasn't going to appreciate Sarah blabbing about her personal life to a stranger and Sarah needed the job more than she cared about Justin Lawrence's respect.

"Cut! I think we can use that take," the director's voice boomed, interrupting anything he might have said in response. "Good work."

Sarah turned to smile at the man beside her. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Lawrence. I'm afraid that's my cue."

And Sarah walked away, resolving to do everything she could to avoid the so-called fixer.

Unfortunately for her, the fixer seemed to have other ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah found herself dodging the bulldog temperament of Justin Lawrence the following day.

On one hand, things were smoother now. Just his presence alone seemed to smooth things between Alec and Penelope, almost as if by magic.

Or that's what the crew was determined to think. Sarah was far too sensible for that; she knew that both Alec and Penelope realized the seriousness of having a fixer on set and neither were willing to sacrifice their careers for their past.

But things were by no means resolved and the tension was still there, albeit less noticeably. And the director had made an offhand comment that it better get resolved soon or the lovemaking scene would be a flop, plain and simple.

Which was probably why Justin had taken to dogging her. He'd evidently already pumped Alec's personal assistant or had somehow gotten the story out of Alec himself because he seemed to already know a good deal of what was going on.

But neither Penelope nor Sarah were talking so that was all Justin had: half the story.

But Justin was evidently not willing to settle for that.

The fixer, it seemed, was simply determined not to be ignored. And Sarah simply didn't dare say anything to him directly. Rumor was he was a big name and she couldn't risk offending him directly, would would affect her future in the industry...not to mention her current professional relationship with Penelope LaRue, one of the biggest names in Hollywood.

So she was resigned to seeing him constantly around the set. He'd appeared that morning as soon as she'd arrived to Penelope's trailer and no matter her excuses, she couldn't shake him.

She left the bathroom, her latest hiding spot, and sighed without surprise when she saw him leaning on the wall by the portapotties.

Once again, he looked fashionable yet quietly wild, like he was daring someone to try and tame him. Not that Sarah cared. Or would.

_Damn. Not that I thought escaping to the bathroom would work, but I'm out of ideas. He's like a damn leech._

"Truly, Sarah, I wish you'd reconsider," he drawled in that low, lyrical voice of his. "I don't do this for my own amusement, you know. I understand why you have kept silent; it wouldn't be seemly for a PA to air her employer's business. But I'm afraid that this has become a matter that no longer involves just Ms. LaRue and Mr. Jamison and therefore I have no choice but to interfere, either directly or indirectly."

_I don't like the sound of that._

The smile on his face was perfectly earnest but there was something about it that Sarah didn't quite trust.

"Whatever you think you know or have, Mr. Lawrence," she pushed her sunglasses back up her face as the setting sun shone in her eyes, "I can assure you that you don't."

He arched a brow. "And what do you think I know, Sarah?"

She opted for silence as her safest choice.

He sighed, a long-drawn out sigh that seemed to hint at a far more dramatic personality than his appearance would suggest. "I think I preferred you feisty," he muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Sarah stared, trying to figure out when, exactly, she'd been feisty with him.

For a moment, he actually looked surprised, like he hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud.

"Never mind," he said as his expression shifted back to its normal calm if arrogant air.

Before he could say anything else, she made her excuses and all but ran over to prepare Penelope's stuff to leave as soon as the director called it for the day.

.

Sarah dropped Penelope off at the hotel she'd rented for the duration of filming before she put the car in drive to head to her budget hotel.

She hadn't made it more than a few feet away from the drop off when she heard a loud thump and the car began to shake.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit," she cursed as she steered the car to the side of the curb. It was rough driving but she had to get out of the way so she call a service to come out and change a tire on the rental.

Penelope would be furious if she left the car but fortunately the hotel lobby was close and she could get someone there to call for her.

She didn't make it past the doors, however.

"Sarah? Is something wrong?"

She turned to see Justin standing behind her. He was still dressed in the same clothes he'd worn on set so she guessed he'd just gotten back himself.

"I just have a flat, that's all. It's nothing major." She tried to wave him off, but instead he stepped in front of her.

"Allow me to help," he said, blocking her view.

She waved him off again. "Thank you, Justin, but it's a rental. It doesn't have a spare, so I need to get it either towed back to the rental company or get someone to come out and change it. And I need to do it before they close for the night."

Justin smiled as he pulled out a large, blocky cell phone from his briefcase. "Allow me," he said. "What's the number?"

She reluctantly handed him the business card she'd pulled out of the glove box before she'd exited the car. It would be quicker to just let him help so she kept the protest to herself.

It figured that Justin could afford the top of the line new piece of technology. She could only stare at them through the store glass and dream.

And dreams didn't get anyone anywhere.

He made the call and she absently listened as he made the arrangements rather than check in with her. She wasn't surprised, however. Justin had a rather commanding attitude, after all.

After a few minutes he ended the call and tucked the phone back into his briefcase.

"I'm afraid I have good news and bad news," he said as he looked back up at her. "The good news is they're still open and they'll send someone out as soon as they can. Unfortunately they only have the one driver for the area and he's already on another call on the other side of the county. It'll be a few hours before he makes it this way."

She cursed to herself but didn't bother to protest. She could complain all she wanted, but what was the point when it wouldn't change anything?

"I wonder if they'll let me wait in the lobby," she said instead, striving to be practical.

"I don't see why not." He glanced around the lobby to find the entrance to the restaurant inside the hotel with a pointed look her way. "Dine with me, Sarah. I have it on expert authority that you have nothing else to do for several hours, at least."

Before she could say no, he held up his hands.

"Nothing work related, I promise. I wouldn't dare take advantage of the situation; it simply wouldn't be fair." He chuckled but she couldn't find the joke in his words. "Come on," he cajoled. "We can go back to hounding and ending tomorrow."

Sarah tried to find the catch but couldn't nor, as he'd pointed out, did she have a good excuse to protest.

So Sarah found herself dining with Justin.

To her surprise, he was a witty and charming dinner companion. He had all the manners her stepmother felt were important in a man but he also had the charm and wicked delight that would have swayed her mother.

And though Sarah was generally indifferent to men, she found herself oddly tempted by the one in front of her.

At his insistence, they both had a glass of wine, enough to mellow her nerves but nothing more.

By the time dessert arrived, she had to admit that her companion was attractive when he wasn't badgering her.

Perhaps that's why she allowed him to kiss her after dinner. Perhaps that's why she allowed him more than a simple press of lips that she'd allowed past dates.

What else could explain why she'd let him kiss her in the moonlight besides her rental and its newly changed tire? It certainly wasn't the alcohol to blame; she hadn't had enough.

His arms around her were warm and his kiss lit a fire in her that she couldn't quite control. She'd meant to push him away from the get-go but instead had melted against him, her hands digging into his shirt as she kissed him back with everything she had.

"There she is," he whispered as she pulled back. "There is the Sarah I knew was hiding all along."

To her confusion, he pulled away as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good night, Sarah. I look forward to continuing this tomorrow... After we discuss Ms. LaRue."

He turned and walked back into the hotel and it was only when he disappeared that Sarah seemed to come back to herself.

"You bastard!" she hissed. Justin had been in control the entire time... _she_ hadn't.

And she knew he was going to use that to his advantage from here in out.

Well the joke was on him, she decided, because she wasn't going to play games with him. She would be professional and stoic and eventually he'd get tired and leave her alone.

He wouldn't use this to press her for details about Penelope, and if that's that he thought, well, he had big surprise coming.

She wouldn't let him win.

And she would never, ever kiss him again. Even if he did kiss like a fucking god.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah's rage was still simmering the next day, but whether she was angrier at Justin Lawrence or herself, she didn't know.

He didn't have the reputation that many of the men in Hollywood did, but that didn't mean he was above using her feelings to get what he wanted, either, and that was _exactly_ what he had done at dinner last night.

His detachment had irritated her almost as much as her own need did. She'd _wanted_ his kiss, she'd realized later, much to her own disgust. She'd known he was going to kiss her and she'd wanted it.

_Since when did I become so starved for human touch?_ She wrinkled her nose in disgust. _It's always been just me, Sir Didymus and Ludo. _

_And I prefer it that way. Men are a complication that I just don't need._

A small smile spread at the thought of her two cats. Ludo was her orange tabby and a gentle creature whose only goal in life was to snuggle up to her for affection.

Sir Didymus was feistier. He often hissed and swatted at newcomers to her home—not that there were many—and if he thought someone was bullying Ludo, the black and white cat would charge in to defend him.

They were both shelter cats and they eased the loneliness she'd experienced when she'd first left home. Sir Didymus has protected Ludo even in the shelter and she hadn't been able to bring herself to separate them. Both had come home with her and she'd immediately changed their names from Olive and Blacky.

It had felt a little odd to name her cats after her childhood toys but somehow it'd just seemed right, like they wouldn't have minded if she did.

Next time she traveled with Penelope, she'd take Sir Didy and Ludo with her, she decided. It was just too lonely without them.

She pasted a bright smile on her face as she walked onto the set with Penelope. It was showtime.

.

Justin appeared not long after shooting began, holding a paper bag and carrying a carrier with two cups of coffee.

He offered her one—no doubt as a peace offering—and she took it rather than risk making a scene. She also silently took the breakfast bagel he handed her.

"How did you sleep?" he asked her quietly.

"Fine," she said, taking a sip of the coffee. He'd evidently ordered it to be ungodly sweet but it was caffeine and it was free.

Besides, if she complained, it would just open up more dialogue.

"Did you make it back to the hotel alright?" he continued as though oblivious to the cold shoulder she was giving him.

"I did." She took another sip of the coffee and relished the feeling of the sluggishness leaving her brain. She was almost late picking up Penelope that morning because she'd been too angry to sleep well and had missed her chance to get coffee.

She's resigned herself to drinking the horrid slop they passed as coffee on location, but fortunately Justin had saved her.

"I took the liberty of calling the rental company again for you." His expression was hidden behind his sunglasses but she had the impression he was annoyed with her. "You shouldn't be driving on a donut for long so I had them agree to meet you here and switch out cars."

"Thanks." She gulped down the coffee, trying to keep the sugary swill from sitting on her tongue too long.

He turned to look at her fully. "Careful, Sarah," he warned her lowly so that no one else could hear. "Don't you dare bloody well act like you didn't enjoy kissing me."

"Sure, I liked it," she said with a casual shrug of her shoulder. "I just didn't care for the bitter aftertaste. Thanks for the breakfast and coffee, Justin."

She lifted the cup as she spoke and then turned and walked away, hoping she was leaving him fuming behind her.

.

Ducking Justin was easier said than done, however. In fact, it ended up being more or less a repeat of the day before.

She managed to avoid being alone with him until around noon when the director called for a small break for lunch.

Everyone knew the truth, however. Penelope's and Alec's lines had fallen flat in the midst of what was supposed to be a passionate debate followed by a heated kiss and the director was steaming.

Justin stepped in and before she could do more than gape in horror, he said, "Mr, Jamison, go ahead and take Ms. LaRue off for lunch as you planned. I'm sure Bill won't mind if you return and flawlessly finish the scene," he added when the producer looked ready to protest.

Bill Reed, the direction, shrugged, though Sarah could easily read his anger he barely managed to suppress. "By all means," he said with a casual shrug she was positive he didn't mean. "If they return and can actually finish the scene in a single take, they could go to Timbuktu for all I'd care."

Bill ordered the scene reset as Alec and Penelope turned to each other in surprise.

Justin nodded to Alec's personal assistant, Sean, who handed the actor a picnic basket. "Off you go."

To her surprise, they went, though she realized it was probably because they were more afraid what he'd do if they didn't go out and clear the air.

And it was more than obvious that's what they were being ordered to do.

Sarah made to head over to a chair to enjoy the rare break but Justin caught her by the arm.

"Don't tell me you forgot our lunch date already, Sarah," he said loudly with that charming voice of his. "I'm wounded."

As he no doubt intended, everyone glanced over at them curiously and she was caught. No matter what she said now, no one wouldn't believe they weren't somehow involved.

She pushed down her resentment and anger and let him lead her off to his car.

.

He didn't go far. He drove to a nearby fast food restaurant and went through the drivethrough. Somehow that surprised her more than anything else he'd done. She just didn't equate him with fast food. He seemed the fine dining type.

After he'd placed their orders and gotten their food, he pulled into a parking spot and put the car in park and turned to face her.

"You can run from anything you want, Sarah. Your past, your childhood, your dreams, but I'll be damned if I let you run away from me," he said lowly, with an air of danger that took her by surprise.

"I'm hardly ignoring you," she pointed out, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I came with you, didn't I? And don't talk like you know anything about me, Justin. We aren't like that."

He didn't even blink. "You're running away from what's happening between us." The anger seemed to leave him suddenly. "Don't run again, Sarah," he cajoled. "I'm as surprised as you are, love. I hadn't thought that—well, never mind that. But Sarah, whatever you think happened last night, know this: I kissed you because I wanted to and that's it. There was no nefarious intent."

She considered that and allowed for the possibility that she'd overreacted. "I'm a professional, Justin. I take my job very seriously and I'm not looking for a relationship in my life right now," she told him seriously.

If he was sincere, he'd back off and if not—well, she only had to tolerate him until filming was over.

He nodded though she noticed he seemed like he had more to say.

She held up her hand.

"Let's just eat, Justin. We can always talk more later."

He agreed and after they ate, they headed back to the location, well within the hour Bill had allowed for, to give his stars time to fix things between themselves.

As he parked the car, she noticed Alec and Penelope both were talking to one another and Bill as though animosity had never existed between them.

"What on earth was in their lunch?" she asked, gaping.

"Faerie bread." Justin shrugged his shoulder but she saw the corners of his eyes crinkle with some mischievous secret. "The effects are, regrettably, quite temporary but they are quite delightful, don't you think?"

She surprised them both by laughing. "Magic, huh?" She watched the actors who seemed to be acting as though they were in the middle of a honeymoon phase of dating. "Magic indeed."

She didn't believe a word of it but for the moment, she didn't care.

But there was something that pricked in the back of her mind at his words, a revelation that hadn't been fully realized.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Justin, eh?" Penelope said later that day as she slid into the car seat.

Sarah closed the car door gently, trying not to show the panic she felt. She knew after Justin's scene earlier for lunch that word would get around, but she still didn't know how she's explain it to her boss.

She took a deep breath as she walked around and opened her own car door.

"I'm surprised," Penelope continued lightly. "He didn't seem the settling down type until I saw him with you. There's something about the way he looks at you that could make another woman jealous."

Sarah wasn't sure how to respond to that. She was positive that she didn't want a relationship, not with Justin Lawrence or anyone else—and yet every time she was around him, her thoughts and feelings got muddled.

"Sorry," she said lamely. "I should have told you."

Not that there was anything to tell, but at this point Penelope wasn't likely to believe her.

Penelope removed her sunglasses to give Sarah an earnest look. "Listen, Sarah. I know I haven't exactly been the easiest to work for, especially lately. And I know that things have been hard on you with how much we've been traveling recently. But I do want you to be happy, Sarah. If Justin gives you that, then you have my blessing."

She held up a hand to stop Sarah's protest. "You aren't the type to air my business, Sarah. So you don't need to try and hide anything for my sake." She put her sunglasses back on and turned back to stare out the window. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say."

Sarah silently started the car and began the drive back to the hotel.

She couldn't help but think of Penelope's tumultuous relationship with Alec Jamison. Penelope had been over the moon when they'd started dating and in the beginning, Sarah would have said Alec was, too.

Alec and Penelope had been practically inseparable and though Hollywood couples were often something of a joke nowadays, Sarah had begun to wonder if they would make it.

They hadn't just been in it for the sex, or so it had looked to Sarah. She'd even been envious of the two at the time. Alec had wined and dined Penelope with all the poise and elegance money could buy and an A-list celebrity could offer, and he'd spent the entire time on set promising to take her to Hawaii for some R&R after the filming was finished.

She hadn't understood anymore than Penelope had why he'd suddenly gotten cold feet and fled. She'd consoled Penelope as best she could, but the truth had escaped them both.

She pulled into the hotel parking lot, still lost in her thoughts as Penelope suddenly spoke up.

"Don't let go," Penelope said quietly. "If you have that spark of magic, whatever you do, don't let it go."

Penelope then got out of the car before Sarah could make it around to the door, but she turned back before she closed the door.

"Don't be afraid of your feelings, Sarah. Don't be afraid to chase after what you want. Ride off into the sunset, chase after him on a white horse, steal a kiss or two, because if you stop for even a second, the magic's gone and you'll never get it back."

Penelope shut the door and turned to walk into the hotel.

Sarah tried not to shiver at Penelope's words as she put the car back into drive. Before she rolled more than a few feet, something dashed in front of her and she slammer her brakes.

She got out of the car quickly, praying she didn't run over the cat that had dashed in front of her.

It wasn't a cat she saw but a tiny black kitten, curled up before the car and still shaking from its close encounter with her car, but otherwise was unharmed.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sarah?" she heard Justin's voice behind her. "Don't tell me the new rental has a flat, too."

She gingerly scooped up the kitten before turning to smile at him, pleased as the kitten began purring.

"No," she replied, petting the kitten. "Just found this little guy trying to play frogger with my car."

"Lucky little thing, isn't he?" Justin stepped forward to pet the kitten as well with a soft expression that immediately endeared her to him. "Lucky it was you, too. Not everyone would have stopped in time."

Sarah soured at that. "Look, Justin. He doesn't even look old enough to be out on his own," she said, trying to distract herself from her darker thoughts about what she'd like to do to people who ran innocent little cats over. "His eyes are still baby blue."

The kitten batted Justin's hand as she spoke and the grabbed it to playfully nip.

Justin chuckled and there was something about his laugh that drew her in further still.

"So he is. But he's full of life, aren't you?" He laughed again as the kitten nipped his thumb. "How you turn the world, you precious thing. Precious indeed."

For a moment, his words reverberated through her mind with the faint, nagging feeling that reminded her of some forgotten memory.

But then the kitten pawed at her and pulled her back out of her thoughts.

"You're so cute," she cooed to the kitten, scratching under his chin as he purred loudly. "It isn't fair that you're all on your own. But what do I do with you? I can't take you back to the hotel with me; they don't allow pets."

"I'll take him." Justin reaches out and gently took the purring kitten from her.

She blinked. "I'm fairly certain your hotel doesn't allow pets either," she said, her brows raising.

"They don't." Justin have a casual shrug, his bright eyes meeting hers for just a moment before they turned back to the kitten.

He looked delighted to have the kitten in his arms and he seemed to be naturally drawn to the purring baby.

"Well, then how—" she began but Justin spoke up with a diverting waggle of his brows.

"Sarah, Sarah," he chided gently. "Have you ever known me to follow the rules?"

He clicked his tongue in disapproval but the merriment in his eyes softened her immediate bristling.

She didn't know him well enough to answer him one way or the other on that.

He smiled at her. "Well, let's get this one settled in, eh?"

He nodded towards the double doors that led into the hotel.

She raised a brow. "They're not going to just let you walk in with a kitten in your arms, Justin."

"Hmm. Won't they?" he grinned as he took the keys from her hand and began heading in anyway, despite her protest.

Sarah followed him, now without any real choice in the matter.

He handed the keys to the valet, who didn't say a word about the kitten.

Sarah tried to protest but the words never left her lips. She wanted to see what would happen more than she wanted to head back to her tiny hotel room to sleep for the night.

Justin continued on confidently as he strolled through the lobby and to the elevator like he owned the place, and whether no one dared to stop him because he was something of a celebrity or because the staff weren't willing to do so for another reason, she didn't know.

In the end, it didn't matter. Justin got his way once again.

He led her to his room and settled the kitten on his bed as Sarah closed the hotel room door behind them.

She should be worried about being alone with Justin in a hotel room, but with her thoughts focused more on the kitten, the realization never fully settled in her mind.

"We should really go ahead and name him if you're going to keep him," she commented as she observed the kitten race across the comforter on the bed chasing some invisible prey. "And get him some cat supplies too."

Jareth looked up from where he'd seated himself on the bed to meet her gaze.

His expression was suddenly unreadable.

"So name him, Sarah," he said lowly, the words almost like a caress.

She watched the kitten jump up and pounce on Justin, claws unsheathes and the name slid from her lips before she could stop herself. "Jareth."

His eyes widened.

So did hers. She hardly believed she'd dare whisper the name of her childish fantasies aloud. Jareth had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination, a way to cope with the stresses and upheaval of her life through her father's divorce and subsequent remarriage, but she'd never once said his name aloud, not even in her therapy sessions, for fear he'd still somehow find a way to appear before her.

Yet somehow it seemed alright to say it now.

"Why not call him Jareth?" she asked, forcing herself to sound casual. She wouldn't backpedal now; she'd said the name aloud and nothing had happened. Didn't that prove that her therapist had been right all along?

His expression fell flat. "I hardly think that name is suitable for a cat," he said just as lightly. "Sounds like a better name for a king."

He paused and she got the feeling he was waiting for some sort of reaction from her.

"Maybe," she agreed because she didn't know what else to say. "But what would a man named Jareth even be king of, anyway?"

She humored him more to prove to herself that saying the name held no power.

"Oh, I don't know." He stretched as the black kitten crawled into his lap. "Perhaps he'd be king of the goblins. It has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Jareth, king of the Goblins."

Something teased the back of her mind again, that faint feeling that told her she should recognize those words.

The kitten meowed and she smiled as she walked over to pet him.

"Not Jareth, then," she said smiling at Justin. "How about we call him Orion? We did find him on Orion Street, after all."

Justin looked a little disappointed but he nodded. "Orion it is," he said lightly. "You'll stay for dinner, won't you? I'll order room service for the three of us, and I'm sure we can find something on the tube to watch."

She should say no. She was _going_ to say no, but the kitten chose that moment to pounce on Justin's neck, ending up with a mouthful of blond hair. Orion looked so pleased with himself even as Justin grabbed the kitten lightly by his scruff.

"Feisty little thing," he said with an affectionate twinkle in his eyes and any protest Sarah might have had fell away.

"Sure, but I get to pick," she said, grabbing the remote off of the nightstand.

As she turned on the television, she thought she heard him say that'd he'd be her slave, but it seemed so lubricous that she immediately dismissed it.


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah stood in the labyrinth once again, only this time, she wasn't fifteen years old anymore.

It hadn't changed much over the years, but that was hardly surprising, right? After all, did hallucinations even age with you?

Still she was compelled to move forward so she did. She passed the worm and the man and his hat, the two doorbells and the trap with the hands that fortunately hadn't become any more handsy with age, she'd traveled through the prison and met the junk lady once again and in the end, ended up at the same castle.

This time, her friends weren't with her and neither were his goblins. There was no little brother for her to save, either.

All that she found nothing the throne room when she finally reached it was _him_.

At first, he looked like he had all those years ago in her childish fantasies and hallucinations. Black leather jacket, black pants, black heeled boots—heeled, for god's sake—and hair as wild as his personality. His makeup glittered yet never managed to make him look less masculine.

And then he shifted to how she'd remembered him at the end, though she'd tried so hard to forget. He was dressed in all white with a feathery cape that reminded her of an eagle. His look was more refined yet the aura of danger around him couldn't be fully quelled.

"Love me, Sarah," he whispered but it wasn't the right words. She couldn't remember what the right words were, but these weren't them.

"Love me, Sarah," he entreated, stepping closer to her. "Love me. That's all I ask of you. All I need. Love me and I shall do anything you ever ask of me."

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

But then what was right?

She tried to close her eyes but she still saw him there.

"This isn't real," she said insistently, hoping the words would vanish him. Her therapist had sworn she could take control of her dreams if she tried. "None of this is real!"

"Isn't it?" he asked taking a step forward.

"No!" she shouted the word, unable to stop herself, as she jerked her gaze from him and stared down at the stony floor.

"There is no reason to fear me," he said, taking another step forward. "There is no reason to run. Look at me, Sarah! I ask so little of you! _Look at me_!"

Her eyes flew up to his face and she gasped at the passion she saw there.

"No," she breathed, wanting to run but her feet had turned to stone.

He gently cupped her chin with one glove hand. "Sarah," he breathed her name. "How you've turned my world. Once I did anything you said out of desire. I wanted to corrupt you. Now I would do anything you said out of love."

"Y-you're not real," she said shakily as her eyes dropped down to his lips.

Did she want him to kiss her?

Would he?

She took a step back as she forced herself remember that he wasn't real—that none of this is real.

He followed her and she continued to move backward until she hit a wall. He made no effort to cage her, but she was aware of the point he'd wordlessly made: he would follow her no matter where she went.

She wanted to cry with frustration, to scream in anger, to beg him to kiss her senseless but nothing came out.

"Sarah, Sarah," he chided her gently as his hand moved to trace the line from her ear down to her jaw and she did her best not to shiver. "You run from yourself, from your dreams, from your desires, and now you run from me. Where is the Sarah who stood here so proudly and told me that I had control over her?"

When she failed to answer, he said, "You always used to complain how unfair things were, yet if anyone here is unfair, it's you. I don't even have the power left to kiss you as we both desire unless you allow me to."

She swallowed but when she pushed his hand from her face, it moved without any resistance.

"I don't," she lied.

He clicked his tongue. "You don't want to kiss me, Sarah?" he purred, moving close enough that she could feel his breath on her lips. "You've never been the best liar, Sarah..."

She pushed him away and he moved back, running a hand through his blond hair.

"It's bad enough that you reject me, again," he ground out, "but it's worse to know that you're rejecting yourself, too."

She began to protest when she noticed something in him snap.

"You won't kiss me?" His lip twitched and suddenly he wasn't the Goblin King. He was Justin Lawrence. "But you'll kiss him, won't you? Because you think he's safe."

Sarah's eyes widened. "How dare you wear his face," she hissed, surprised at her own temper. "Get out! Get out of my dreams, Jareth!"

With an explosion of glitter, he vanished.

.

Sarah woke with a start to find herself on an unfamiliar hotel bed.

She heard soft snoring and smiled when she saw Orion dozing next to her face, his tail twitching as he dreamed.

Next to her, Justin had apparently dozed off as well. His eyes opened to blearily meet hers.

She saw the Goblin King in his place but when she blinked again, he was gone and Justin again lay before her, sprawled out on the bed like he didn't quite grasp the concept of sharing space. His legs brushed hers as he stretched.

"Good morning," he greeted her. "It is morning, isn't it? Sarah?" he prompted when she didn't reply.

No matter what he said, she couldn't shake the image of that long ago childish hallucination. At that moment, he felt as real to her as Justin did and she was unable to separate the two after seeing him wear the fixer's face.

Sarah gathered her purse and fled the hotel room before he could stop her.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah had run from him.

She'd run from Jareth in her dreams and then again in her own world—the one place he'd been convinced she'd never do so, not after the strides he'd made with her.

He ignored the sounds of the kitten snoring beside him as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Was he always destined to lose when it came to Sarah? Would she always flee him, fear him, even when he offered nothing but his own affections?

"Sarah, how you try me so," he muttered to himself, allowing the glamor to fade so he could recline on the bed as he really was and not the facade he'd adopted to keep from alarming Sarah.

It had started out as a prank, sure enough. A little bit of fun at her expense.

But seeing Sarah work so hard at a job that should be dissatisfying had endeared her to him once again. The care she'd given her employer, the dedication to a life she shouldn't want, had both made him jealous and frustrated at the same time.

He had offered her a crown, his heart, and her every desire—and she rejected him for _this_?!

And yet his irritation had faded when he realized Sarah didn't really believe she'd been offered any of those things. She'd believed it to be no more than a dream and so she hadn't taken him seriously when he'd been unable to stop himself from drifting into her own thoughts when they'd both drifted to sleep on his hotel bed.

He'd tried so hard to stay awake. Sarah was finally here with him, without fear or caution, and when he'd rested his arm casually across the bed to pull her closer, she hadn't protested.

It had been wonderful. It was the most affection she'd ever allowed between them.

He snorted in disgust.

What good would winning her heart do him now?

She would only accept the heart of Justin Lawrence. He would never be able to bring her home with him or have her rule beside him as he'd begun to dream of. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted it with every breath he took.

He curled his lip. He would deal with her problem first and foremost. He would ensure those two pesky mortals either rekindled their feelings or forgotten about them. Perhaps he'd send them off into a peach fueled daydream until they figured it out themselves.

Either way, as soon as _that_ situation was resolved, he would move forward with Sarah. He'd find some way to bring her back to his home. Once there, she would simply have to accept the reality, and him, once and for all.

He rose, ready to put his plan into action, and jolted Orion who mewled in protest.

He glanced down at the black kitten and his frustration faded.

He'd been close. He'd been close to wooing her, whether she admitted it or not.

He could do it. If he won her heart first, the transition would be easier. He could slowly coax her back into his life, his true life, without having to fight her every step of the way.

He would help her accept her past, rejoice in it, and settle down with him to begin a new family very different from the one he had envisioned some twelve years before.a

"I'm growing soft in my old age," he thought to himself in amusement. "Once I wouldn't have hesitated to haul her off whether she wished it or not. Yet now I find myself inclined to wait until she says the words herself."

He smiled. "But make no mistake, Sarah. You will be my queen—the queen you've always meant to be."

He scooped up Orion and sang as he rocked the kitten back to sleep. It was a new song, but a short one, yet it reminded him all the same of how long it had been since he'd sang and danced.

Since Sarah left.

Why had he not realized it sooner that the laughter had left her life when she had?

And why was he only now beginning to fear what would happen if he couldn't help her accept her memories and make a life with him?


	7. Chapter 7

It was cowardly, but Sarah did her damndest to avoid Justin throughout the day.

Every time she looked at him, his cut and polished modern man seemed to vanish before her eyes and in its place she saw the pompous and flamboyant Goblin King, the one who in her dreams and childish delusions had never really been able to take no for an answer.

Penelope had given her a pointed look when Sarah had walked into the hotel to pick her up that morning in yesterday's clothes but she hadn't had time to change. Fortunately, she kept a spare set of clothes—both hers and Penelope's—in the car for emergencies, a habit that had started very early in her career and today would help her save face.

So she dropped Penelope off on set and ducked into one of the temporary bathrooms to change. It wasn't a fun experience and she wasn't positive it was a sanitary one, either, but along with a few wet wipes, it did the trick and she returned to the set with her poise and grace.

Justin had tried to approach her with coffee and a danish to make light conversation, and though she'd taken the offerings to keep from drawing any undue attention, she had rebuffed his attempts to draw her back in.

Right now, it was more than she could handle. She had been serious about not wanting to start a relationship, she rationalized, and this was just a sign as to why. She clearly hadn't fully gotten over her childhood trauma and delusions—what other reason could there be for her childhood pain to come back and haunt her in her dreams?

Perhaps when she got back home, she'd give Veronica a ring. Veronica was a children's therapist, but she was familiar enough with Sarah's case that she could at least point out a decent therapist.

Justin had shrugged off her withdrawal and had gone on to offer both Penelope and Alec cups of coffee. Given that it was from a cafe a few streets away and not the crappy pots the set crew made, both had gratefully accepted. They'd down the cups before making their way over to the set to begin the first scene of the day.

It was a little odd, though, how quickly Alec and Penelope seemed to devolve. Their professional relationship was hanging by a thread and it was obvious that their personal feelings had begun to bleed over into the set. Fortunately for now, the scene they were working on was a fight between the couple, but it was a little eery at how passionate the two had become.

Still, it was four takes in and everyone, even the two main stars, were obviously getting frustrated.

The scene itself involved a fight after the couple had had angry sex following Penelope's breakup with Alec's. In a scene not yet shot, Alec and Penelope had later bumped into each other and their bickering had combined with alcohol to lead to a very hot and heavy night in the bedroom that both were supposed to regret, leading to the fight scene they were currently filming.

After the director called cut and had the scene reset for a fifth time, both seemed too wound up and Sarah began to worry an outburst was emanate.

As the scene began, the tension finally seemed to fizzle over, but only time and the director would tell if it was in the appropriate direction.

"You never even gave me a chance," Alec snapped, buttoning up his crisp shirt as he turned to glower at Penelope who had been lounging on the bed. "You keep picturing me as this villain, Megan, and never for once did you stop to see me as I really am."

"_Me_?" Penelope ground out as she rose from the bed in a naked fury. "Ha! You have never seen me as anything but a kid, Derek, and don't you try and pretend otherwise." She angrily stabbed her arms into her robe as she pulled it over her body. "Sure you seduced me with pretty words, but that's all they were! You know what? I _hate_ roses? I can't _stand_ them. And what did you buy me after our first fight? That's right, Derek. _Roses_."

On set, Penelope enunciated the word with a tiny jab in Alec's chest.

Alec's brows shot up and he looked furious as everyone else on set looked bemused. That's when Sarah realized that though she had gone over the script multiple times with Penelope, she didn't recall a single mention of Alec's character Derek bringing Penelope's character flowers.

Alec didn't break character and he looked heated enough that Sarah began to suspect that the roses were something that had indeed happened—but between Alec and Penelope rather than Derek and Megan.

"Well how the hell was I supposed to know that?" he shot back as Penelope stomped her way around the bed to stand before him. "I'm not a fucking mindreader. If you didn't like the roses, you should have said something!"

Penelope threw her hands up in the air. "I did! I thanked you for the roses and asked for lilies next time. And do you know what you said? You said—and I quote!—'Like hell. I'm not going to a funeral, Megan.' And then insisted roses suited the occasion better."

Alec breathed in and out harshly as he shoved his legs into his pants with equal ferocity. "Roses," he ground out irritably, "are romantic, you infuriating, insane woman! Women _like_ roses. Women get _married_ with roses. And red roses are supposed to signify that I fucking love you, not that I think you're a child, but you know what, Megan? Right now you're acting like one!"

"You—_what_?" Penelope froze and Sarah could have sworn that you could have heard a pin drop.

They both stood toe to toe, breathing heavily, but the director didn't call cut.

"You heard me," he ground out. "I said _I love you_."

"B-but I saw you with another woman!" Penelope protested, nearly wailing.

Alec looked absolutely lost. "What other woman?" he growled.

Penelope swallowed. "You were with her outside Tiffany's. I saw you go into the store and pick out a ring for her."

Recognition dawned and a moment later, Alec began laughing. "You're a fool," he said, chuckling. "You saw the woman but not the man with us?" He began shaking with laughter as he explained, "I was helping my sister and her fiancé pick out a wedding ring, you nut. He had proposed with his grandmother's engagement ring but the matching wedding ring had somehow gotten lost so they were trying to find a replacement that matched. Unfortunately, my future brother-in-law has horrible taste so my sister wanted me there to be the voice of reason. It was a good thing I was there, too, because he kept trying to pick out rings that were absolutely hideous. The worst was the one he found that had peridots, emeralds, and rubies all meshed together like some kind of ugly Rubix cube."

"Your sister?" Penelope echoed faintly. "You've never mentioned a sister."

"And you never said you hated roses," Alec pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.

Penelope opened her mouth and then closed it. "I'm so humiliated!" she wailed, grabbing a blanket from the bed and throwing it over her head. Alec only laughed harder so Penelope dashed off to the on-set bathroom. It wasn't functional, but the door at least was. Penelope slammed it shut.

Alec followed her, wiping tears from his eyes. He knocked on the door until she answered, eyes swollen and her nose red from the tears she tried to sniffle back.

"Have dinner with me?" he asked softly.

"Dinner?" Penelope blinked at him. "What happened to breakfast?"

"Fuck breakfast," he growled, picking her up in his arms and carrying her over to the bed. "Let's order a pizza instead."

As Penelope started laughing, they heard the director shout, "Cut!"

Alec and Penelope started but Alec made no move to put her back down.

The staff inched forward, ready to reset the scene that had obviously been butchered, but for the first time, the director looked pleased.

"We'll keep the take," he announced and everyone's bodies relaxed. "To hell with it. We can tweak a few scenes later but this turned out better than anything Sherry had written."

Sherry, one of the co-writers, sulked at his announcement but didn't seem inclined to argue.

The crew began readying the next scene for the day and unsurprisingly, as they worked, Alec and Penelope snuck off to have a conversion—or more—of their own.

"How interesting," Justin said quietly and Sarah jumped when she realized how close the other man had gotten, all without her noticing.

"I'll say," Sarah agreed, still a little taken aback by what had just unfolded in front of them. Neither Alec nor Penelope had been the type to air their drama and both were far too professional to ever bring it on set and ad-lib an existing scene. It was even more astonishing that not only had the director allowed it, but he'd actually decided to use it in place of the original scene.

"It's almost as if...it's magic," Justin said lightly, giving her a wink.

Sarah snorted. "Like what? Someone put a truth spell on them?"

Justin grinned. "Stranger things have been known to happen."

"Well, whatever it was, at least it worked out," Sarah said, trying to find something to say that wouldn't compromise Penelope. "But it's the strangest thing I've ever seen happen on a set."

Justin shrugged. "It's not the strangest thing I've seen, but that's a story for another day."

Sarah realized how close Justin was and she slowly inched away to create more space. "Right. Well, either way, there's only a few days left of shooting now and everything should go a lot more smoothly if this is any indication."

"And then what will you do?" Justin asked and though she got the feeling he realized she'd created distance, he didn't encroach on the space she created.

"I'm not sure." Sarah bit down on her lower lip. "Penelope was talking about taking some R&R."

"Well," Justin drawled out, "if this is any indication, I'd say she will be."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself. After a moment, he said, "Would you go with me tonight? I want to stop and get Orion some supplies but I'm afraid I'm at a loss what to get a cat. I'm more of a dog person, you see."

Sarah laughed because when she tried to picture Justin with a dog, it just didn't work. Him with cats seemed far more natural and she suspected he knew more about cats than he let on. Still, she wasn't about to gamble Orion's wellbeing on it so she caved on her promise to stay away from him and agree. It was just a short errand, right? Nothing would happen.

But there was an odd expression on Justin's face that she couldn't quite read that had her second-guessing that last thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Shopping with Justin Lawrence was an adventure, to say the least. He was easily excitable about all the varieties of products offered for his new feline companion and Sarah began to expect that he didn't ask her there to offer advice on cat supplies but more so to rein him in and stop him from purchasing the entire store.

Still, it was charming how attached he had become to Orion and she didn't doubt that the kitten wouldn't become spoiled beyond belief—rather like her own Sir Didy and Ludo.

Once supplies had purchased—and a staggering amount of Justin's money spent—they returned to the hotel to show Orion his new gifts.

Sarah hadn't intended on staying with Justin again, but the idea of seeing Orion with his new toys and supplies was too tantalizing to pass up.

So, once again, she found herself in Justin's hotel room, watching a movie she'd while they ate the room service Justin had ordered. Orion, meanwhile, kept dashing around the room, playing with this toy or that until another caught his easily distracted mind and he abandoned the first for the second.

As the credits rolled, Justin quietly asked, "Was it something I said?"

She blinked, surprised by the question, but there was no mistaking his meaning. Somehow, she'd never actually expected him to ask her outright.

"I told you, Justin. I'm not pursuing a relationship right now," she said, opting for a partial truth. Some inner sense warned her not to outright lie to him. She only hoped he wouldn't press her for more details.

That hope didn't last long.

"I don't recall asking you for one," he said lightly as he shifted closer, "but I won't claim that I wouldn't be interested in pursuing one with you if you were amendable."

Sarah licked her dry lips as she leaned away from him subconsciously. "Justin, listen. You're a nice man. Really, you are. But I'm just not looking for any complications in my life right now."

He let her move away. "Sarah," he sighed, "aren't you bored of maintaining the status quo? Don't you, for once in your adult life, want to reach out and have a taste of the magic yourself? Penelope took the risk and has rediscovered it with Alec."

Sarah remained silent, unwilling to voice her thoughts aloud. She would _not_ all him of her experiences and childhood, no matter how he cajoled or begged.

"Very well." Justin leaned back to rest his weight on his hands in a pose that was entirely too enticing—more enticing than any mortal man had the right to be. "Then tell me, Sarah. What is it that you would want from a lover?"

"Oh." Sarah hadn't expected that line of questioning at all, but she sensed the answer was important to him. "Well... I'm not sure."

He frowned at her and she held her hands up to stave off any complaints.

"I'm serious!" she said quickly. "I haven't really thought about it."

And she hadn't...Not since years of therapy had finally helped push thoughts of the Goblin King from her mind.

"It's not easy to come up with an answer like that on the spot," she continued. "I mean, I guess I want what every woman wants overall. A man who is caring and understanding but who has his life together. A lover who is also a partner, I guess would be the way to put it."

He didn't move as he considered her words. "And I can't be that to you?" he asked her quietly.

"I don't know," she admitted and sensed her words had hurt him, though his expression hadn't shifted. "I don't really know you, Justin. We only just met. It's a bit too early to tell, even if I was interested in pursuing something right now."

"Hmm." He fell silent, seemingly lost in thought as he glanced up at the ceiling.

"What about you?" she asked, desperate to change the focus back on him.

He met her gaze and held it. "I don't know if I can qualify it," he admitted. "It seems all of the qualities I once thought I sought have flown right out the window in the face of the woman I've found."

She flushed and dropped her gaze, unable to deal with the passion in his.

"But I suppose I am not that dissimilar from you, Sarah," he continued on blithely. "I want a partner, too. Someone who can rule my domain as effectively as I do, but isn't afraid to assert her opinions. These days, I find myself weary of those who just go along with the flow. I want passion and fire."

Those were two characteristics Sarah was certain no longer applied to her and yet she felt a little bit of herself die at the idea that she couldn't be Justin's perfect match.

It was folly, she reassured herself. She and Justin could never make a match of it and expect it to work. Though he was careful never to show it, she sensed that Justin was a very domineering man.

He may think he wanted someone to stand toe to toe with him, but she had a hard time picturing anyone doing it and succeeding. Even the hotel management bowed to his flagrant flaunting of the rules and if the director resented Justin's heavy-handed interference, he didn't ever dare show it.

But perhaps accepting that reality and admitting it was the key to getting Justin to accept things would never work between them.

"Somehow I doubt that," she replied with mild amusement. "I can't really picture you just sitting back and letting someone argue with you. I get the feeling you always win in the end."

Justin smiled but there didn't seem to be any amusement behind it. "Not always," he said quietly. "In fact, I'm afraid I have lost quite heavily when it was most important."

She couldn't picture it but there was an odd pain to his words she couldn't deny. "Well," she said, grasping for something to say, "I'm sure whoever it was and whatever happened that you aren't just going to let it go."

The odd tension left his expression. "Not quite," he admitted. "But only because I believe they want me to succeed in this small victory more than I do."

Sarah decided to disregard his odd comment. "So, what next?"

He accepted the topic change with grace. "After the filming is done?" He stretched with all the grace of a panther. "Well, it'll be my first vacation in an age. Perhaps I'll travel. It's been a devil of a time trying to get away, so I suppose I may as well make the most of it now before some disaster or another pops up again."

She laughed. "I know what you mean. It can be hard to get away."

"Is that what you want? To get away?"

She wasn't surprised he directed the question back to their earlier conversation. It would have been more surprising if he hadn't at some point. Justin was quietly ruthless, though he attempted to hide the fact beneath a veneer of civility.

"I mean it's nice to have a real vacation." She shrugged. "But I wouldn't say I seek it. I enjoy my work and it challenges me more often that not so it can be rather rewarding."

It was her standard answer, which is why it sounded rehearsed even to her ears.

But she sensed the question that was coming so she added, "I guess you could say I'm content. Life isn't exciting anymore at this age but it's comfortable. There's nothing wrong with that."

For a moment, she saw a raw expression of frustration cross Justin's face but it abruptly vanished.

"Sarah," he cajoled softly, "just stop thinking a bloody minute, will you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who asked, Justin. You keep pushing and pushing. What do you mean me to do, dance naked in the streets? Dye my hair purple and learn to read tarot cards? Don a snakeskin skirt and go makeout with a musician?"

"If that's what you want," he said mildly but she could sense the surprise he hid.

"Well it's not." She leaned back to lie down on the bed, figuring Justin, despite his natural arrogance, was too much of a gentleman to press for more when she'd made her desires—or lack thereof—clear.

He lay down beside her. "It is never a good idea to deny the desires of your heart," he agreed and yet she had the feeling it wasn't really an agreement.

"Exactly," she said anyway, nodding. "Of course, when I was younger, I might have been tempted to do those things, but that was then. I've grown up since."

She swore she heard him mumble something but she didn't quite catch what it was.

"Well," he said after moment, "when I was younger I like to tease dragons and faeries and other rather dangerous creatures, so I suppose you were more levelheaded by comparison."

Sarah laughed, picturing him as a small child with a stick out playing with the neighborhood dog he had pretended was a dragon. "Hard to imagine you had such a vivid imagination as a kid, Justin. You seem so serious now."

"You're probably the only one who would call me serious. Then or now." She met his gaze to see a mischievous glint in his odd eyes.

"I bet you pretended you were king of your whole neighborhood," she added, suddenly wanting to tease him in the quiet intimate mood developing between them.

"Of course I did," he said lightly. "It was great practice."

She laughed again. "Well everyone seems inclined to defer to you know so I guess you're right."

He waved a dismissive hand. "Power isn't about issuing orders, Sarah. It's about knowing what people need and helping them achieve it. Any ruler—king, boss, or otherwise—who forgets that is doomed to be usurped at some point and likely beheaded."

Sarah considered that and found she agreed. Still, for the first time in years, she was suddenly in the mood to tease someone—namely him. "So you know what people want, huh? Justin, the king of dreams."

"After a fashion," he agreed with a smile. "I suppose that's a much better job description than 'Justin, the fixer of things.'"

They both chuckled and Sarah relaxed further.

"Tell me, Sarah. If you could be anything you wanted, what would it be?"

"When I was younger, I'd have jumped at the chance to be actress," she said musingly. "But now having seen it all up close, I don't know if it's something I'd really enjoy. I like helping Penelope. If I had to change careers, I guess I'd want to pursue something that could make an impact on people. But on a more individual level. When you teach or work with large amounts of people, you lose that personal connection and I don't think I'd like that."

"I can understand that." He rolled on his side to face her. "I do much of the same myself. Tell you what, Sarah. If Penelope takes a much deserved R&R with Alec, why don't you come work with me for a short while? There's a job I believe your talents would be rather useful for. In fact, I daresay it's a job only you could pull off."

Though Sarah wasn't sure she should, she found herself agreeing.

Justin then offered her a glass of wine and dessert before sending her off to her hotel, but despite her best efforts, she once again found herself dozing off on his bed beside him.


	9. Chapter 9

Jareth found himself uncharacteristically hesitating.

The filming had finally been winding down over the last few days. During that time, more often than not, Sarah dozed off in his hotel room, curled up next to him with Orion sleeping between them.

To his chagrin, he found he'd been oddly accepting of that and hadn't pushed her further. She had let her guard down around him—no, she had let her guard down around _Justin Lawrence_, he reminded himself irritably as he ran a hand through his haphazard hair—and he'd worried that pushing her further would only push her away.

It was a thought he couldn't bear, for he was very much afraid that this time, if he pushed her away, she'd be gone for good.

And yet, he yearned for her to remember. Needed her to, in fact.

He'd begun to hate the sound of his fictitious name on her lips. He wanted to hear his own, and he was greedier still to want to hear it with the same quite affection she'd say _Justin_.

Should he?

Or shouldn't he?

Today was the last day of filming and he was nearly out of time to make his decision.

Despite himself, the nerves seemed to finally get to him. Jareth couldn't seem to stand still and he found himself wandering aimlessly around the set as he tried his best to distract himself. He'd already encouraged the seed to bloom within Alec's mind and Alec had then asked Penelope to accompany him on a little holiday to a tropical island for some relaxation. That left Sarah free to hold up her end of the bargain to come with him.

And she had agreed, he reminded himself.

True, she hadn't known all the details her bargain had entailed, but when had that stopped him before?

He'd taken the child at her behest, though she had been too young and foolish to understand the nature of that bargain. He'd gambled and played with her in his labyrinth, thinking it was clear she'd been outmatched and yet she bested him anyway. Truly, there was nothing fair in dealing with Sarah for she had the annoying habit of coming out ahead, no matter how the odds were stacked against her.

What would she think of the labyrinth's true nature? She'd been a child during her first visit and she'd seen it with childish eyes. How would it appear to her now that she'd grown and come into her own maturity?

"Justin, are you okay?" Sarah asked softly.

He managed not to jump in surprise, but it was a near thing. He couldn't recall the last time anyone had snuck up on him, but he'd been so lost in his thoughts he'd never heard her move.

"I'm fine," he said as he offered her his most charming smile.

"You seem distracted." She held out a cup of coffee to him and he took it. He'd never grown to tolerate the drink but it gave him something to do with his hands so he forced himself to drink it. "What's on your mind?"

He didn't bother to try and speak to his feelings. What would she say if she knew his desires and the accompanying fears that acting on any of them would only serve to undo everything that had been so carefully built between them?

He snorted. When had he become so melancholy? He had a reputation for action, not wallowing in his own problems,

"Penelope is going on holiday with Alec," he said instead, hoping to indirectly steer the conversation to Sarah's earlier promise.

"You don't have to look so satisfied," Sarah grumbled, taking a sip of her own coffee. "You were right. So what?"

He grinned at her but didn't reply to her baiting. "Have you always been such a sore loser, Sarah?"

She pressed her lips together and gave him a serious answer. "Probably," she admitted. "I used to get so competitive when we played board games growing up that my stepmother Irene often scolded me. I'm not a very gracious winner, either. I remember this one time in high school, some friends and I were trying to do some idiot teen version of truth or dare meets Monopoly." She laughed lightly. "It went about as badly as you'd expect, but there was this one guy who kept trying to throw out kissing dares and he'd get rather ticked off when he kept losing so he had to do my dare instead. I thought he was cute, but I was too wrapped up in the game to notice all the hints and moves he was giving."

Sarah flushed as he chuckled. He couldn't picture the teenaged boy who thought he'd had a chance with Sarah, but he read from the expression on her face that the fop hadn't even had a chance.

"Was he your first love?" he prodded, unable to help himself.

Sarah shrugged but the blush hadn't completely left her face. "I thought he was, at the time. When I got older, I realized it was just a crush. I was only fifteen, after all, and I thought myself in love with someone new every other week or so."

"Perhaps it's just your definition of love that's changed," he suggested and she smiled. "I've found that, over the years, mine certainly has."

_That is why, more than ever, I want you to find your place at my side. Not as my slave, not with me as yours, but as partners._

"That's fair," she said and he winced at the too familiar word. "We change as we get older so it makes sense that our idea of love changes, too."

They both fell silent. Sarah seemed lost in her own thoughts and Jareth once again didn't push. She had all the advantages here in her world. In his, they would be on a level playing field.

Of course, there was the pesky manner of her buried memories, but the labyrinth itself was the answer to that. The labyrinth had a way of guiding people back home—even people who didn't realize they'd been lost. And it found the perfect home for each of its denizens in a way only the labyrinth could. If Sarah returned, he was positive that, no matter how lost she became, it would always guide her back to him and in doing so, she'd finally accept the part of herself she was working so hard to hide.

He'd found his home with her. It was time Sarah learned that as well.

At that moment, he made the decision: Sarah was coming with him back to the labyrinth.

"I hope your bags are packed," he bent to whisper in her ear.

She turned and covered her ears. "Justin!" she hissed.

He hid a grin. "You promised," he reminded her. "Don't worry, Sarah. I think you'll enjoy the job I have in mind."

Sarah huffed but, to his delight, she didn't protest, cementing the decision in his head as right. If she had, he might have backed off to give her more space, but she hadn't. Deep down, Sarah already knew what she wanted.

It would be up to him to get her to admit it out loud—and accept it.


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah blinked, stunned by the uncanny familiarity of the sight before her.

"How..." She trailed off as she tried not to show her discomfort.

There, before her eyes, was an oddly familiar entrance, surrounded by a long stone wall and a small moat. Beyond the moat were more flowers than she could ever hope to identify. Some she wasn't even sure she _could_ identify. And beyond the flowers was a vast forest, too tall and too dark for her to see far into the trees.

She turned her attention to the flowers, full of a variety of colors, and blinked when she saw tiny faeries flittering about them. She looked around, as if looking for someone, but she didn't see anyone else.

_Shouldn't there be a dwarf?_

She stopped short at the odd thought. Why would she expect there to be a dwarf amongst the flowers? Dwarves, according to fairytales, like mountains and caves. They certainly wouldn't be found out amongst the flowers and faeries. Try as she might, she couldn't come to any conclusion why she'd initially been looking for a dwarf to be there.

Sarah decided to shake off the oddity and move on. She dropped down to her knees, entranced by the faeries' beauty, and gasped when one bit her as she reached out to it.

"Ow!" She looked at her bleeding index finger. "It bit me!"

She stared at the smug faerie as it flew away, feeling an odd sense of deja vu.

Still, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "I thought faeries did nice things, like granting wishes." Some fairytale dream this was shaping up to be.

"Shows what _you_ know, don't it?"

Sarah spun, but she couldn't see anyone who might have spoken. The faeries had flown off to other flowers, far away from her, and no one else was around.

"Who said that?" she asked, standing up as she brushed the dirt off her knees.

But no one was there.

It was too odd that Sarah couldn't take it in. Everything seemed so familiar, yet nothing was. She thought back to what she last recalled doing. Justin Lawrence had invited her on a trip, she recalled, now that Penelope and Alec were taking their own vacation after filming had ended. She'd agreed... And then he'd insisted they order pizza in and settle into his hotel room to work out the details. At some point, she'd dozed off, cuddled up with Orion, and that was the last thing she'd recalled doing.

"So this is a dream," Sarah said as she felt herself relax. She wasn't _really_ in a labyrinth; she was just dreaming and that was much easier to accept.

"Is it?"

Sarah whirled at the voice that had haunted her well into her dreams, even when she'd forgotten most everything else. He was simply too much to forget, though she'd tried. God, how she'd tried.

"Hello, Sarah." Jareth the Goblin King smiled at her. "Tell me, what do you think of my labyrinth?"

She blinked. "How would I know?" She waved a hand. "I haven't entered it, nor do I intend to. This is just a silly dream, brought about my own unresolved issues. Ms. Gregson said that if I wanted the dreams to stop, I had to embrace what I was hiding from... I thought I had," she mused, "but if I'm here, there must be something I'm missing..."

Sarah finally allowed herself to look at Jareth. He wore black leather pants, a loose light blue peasant cut shirt, and long black leather boots. His long hair had been carefully groomed to give it a wild look and he wore makeup on his face and he'd sported several earrings in one ear and wore a longer necklace with an odd, almost crescent moon shaped pendant.

As she stared, she saw the fantastical look fade away and Justin Lawrence stood before her, dressed in Jareth's clothes. The two began to flicker, superimposing one on the other, until she couldn't tell who was who.

"Justin," she breathed, thinking she understood. She'd been avoiding her feelings for Justin and so her childish fantasy had come back to force her to come to terms with it.

All in all, Sarah was quite pleased with her deduction. It was a far more mature thought than believing she'd really teleported here to some fantastical land or that some goblin king had taken an interest in her.

Jareth's lips thinned. "Why is it that you defy me at every turn, Sarah?"

"_Defy _you?" Sarah took umbrage. "I don't even know you, Jareth. You aren't even real; you're just the manifestation of my unresolved feelings for Justin, that's all."

"I see." Jareth moved his hands as a crystal ball formed between them and then he idly began to juggle it. "In that case, Sarah, run my labyrinth. You'll find what you see at the end."

She considered that. Dreams, she knew from therapy, were the brain's way of processing information and therefore, Jareth was likely the manifestation of that processing. If he wanted her to move to the center of the labyrinth, there had to be some reason to it that would help her and either way, short of waking up, she wasn't leaving the dream any time soon. She might as well follow it to the end.

If she became too restless, she was sure Justin would notice and wake her up and she'd find herself back in the hotel room. The risk was minimal, if not nonexistent, so she found herself nodding. "Okay, sure. It'll be a piece of cake."

Jareth threw the crystal at the gate and the labyrinth began to open for her. "You have thirteen hours, Sarah, to solve my labyrinth."

She'd started walking towards the gate if he spoke, but she'd turned at the ominous promise. "What if I don't?" she asked, though she was confident she'd succeed. Her brain wouldn't set her up to fail, after all.

He smiled but he didn't seem to be amused. "Then, Sarah, you'll be one of us... Forever."

She tried not to shiver as she walked through the gate and began her challenge.

.

Jareth watched her go, unable to completely push away his concern.

It had been risky, bringing Sarah back here. She'd fallen asleep beside him and he'd realized it was his chance. Sarah wouldn't return voluntarily with things as they were, assuming she'd even believed him when he'd asked her to go. Taking her as she'd slept had seemed the only possible solution.

But he didn't know how Sarah would react when she'd regained the memories she'd pushed back and realized what he'd done. All he could do now was wait and see how Sarah did with his labyrinth.

He transformed into an owl and took to the air to head to his palace where Orion waited, intending to watch over her with his crystals. Sarah had conquered his labyrinth once, but she would find now that much had changed since then.

He only hoped she would be able to repeat her success.


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah made her way into the labyrinth, confident that she would overcome this challenge well before her dream-time of thirteen hours expired.

As she made her way down the stone pathway, she heard a tiny voice say, "'Allo!"

But when she turned around, no one was there.

"Did someone say hello?" she asked cautiously. She was certain she'd heard someone speak but she couldn't find anyone else in the labyrinth there with her. If her subconscious wanted her to work through something, it certainly wasn't forthcoming about _what_.

Finally, after several long moments, she gave up and began walking.

"No, I said 'allo' but that's close enough."

She spun on her heels, searching again for the source of the tiny voice but, like before, she saw nothing but a tiny pink worm traveling along the length of one of the rocks. After a moment, she shrugged and continued on her way, taking a left at the fork in the path. Up until now, the labyrinth looked familiar, as if she'd been reliving her dreams long ago. Up ahead, she could see a hat sitting on a dark figure.

But then the entire scene shifted. Gone was the hat, the dark figure, and the worm behind her who had been slowly traversing his way along the rocky wall. Gone was the fountain beyond the figure and the comfortable, if lonely, image of the labyrinth.

Instead, the stony walls grew taller, draping themselves in thick swatches of moss. The ground rumbled and split, leaving jagged cut rocks that had been haphazardly lay together to form the path. The vegetation likewise changed, growing tall. Some grew into large trees, wide and flowering despite the fact that it appeared to be well into fall in the labyrinth.

To her consternation, the only tree that had any fruit on it at all was a peach tree, a fruit Sarah hadn't been fond of since her teenage years. She never could quite remember when it had fallen out of favor, but even to this day, she couldn't eat peaches without feeling like she wanted to vomit. Even peach flavored candy had made her stomach roll, much to her family's surprise. It had once been one of her favorite fruits.

"But tastebuds change, Sarah," she reminded herself, forcing her gaze away from the tree so full of fruit that its branches sagged from the weight. "There's nothing weird about that. Toby used to like bananas as a baby and now he won't even touch them."

The reminder reassured her and she pressed on, leaving the peach tree behind her.

She didn't get far before a bubble appeared in front of her. She reached out to touch it and it popped, turning into a peach in her hands. She stared at it, surprised, before, unbidden, a memory came to her of dancing in a white ballgown with a masked prince.

_Prince?_ No, that wasn't right. Not a prince. A king.

She shook her head but the dream wouldn't leave her—and what else could it be if not a dream? A childish dream, surely, for no mature woman would have been delighted to wear such a dress and think it exciting to dance with and kiss a stranger she hardly knew, kingly or not. It was exciting, in a youthful way, but it did nothing to move her adult heart that sought more than daydreams and silly fantasies. She wanted a partner, not hidden or forbidden excitement.

She dropped the peach and heard it bruise against the ground before it rolled away into the bushes to disappear from sight.

She kept on, all too aware of her thirteen hour deadline. She still wasn't too sure why thirteen was the number of hours she'd been allotted but she was sure it had some sort of meaning. Otherwise, her dream wouldn't bother to emphasize it in the first place.

She took care to walk around the jagged rocks, all too aware of her bare feet. If she was injured, she'd have nothing to tend to her wounds. And while it was unlikely she could die of blood loss in a dream of all things, she'd heard too many stories of people who died in their dreams dying for real at the same moment to want to risk it.

"I hope there's more to this labyrinth than peach trees and jagged rocks," Sarah muttered to herself, "or this dream is going to be dreadfully boring."

Sarah stopped after a moment, wondering if the rocks in front of her seemed familiar. It was hard to tell, given this area looked about as familiar as the last, but she thought it seemed familiar. Had she inadvertently walked in a circle?

As she looked around, she noticed with disgust the all too familiar peach tree up ahead of her. "I did walk in a circle," she groused. "The trick is, did I do so because I'm lost or is my mind trying to draw attention back to this area? If that's not the case, then how do I keep from going in circles again?

She thought about marking the ground or one of the rocks but laughed at her own foolishness. She had no way to mark them—she didn't even have a tube of lipstick on her.

_Lipstick?_

She reached into the pockets of the skirt she'd been wearing when she'd fallen asleep on Justin's hotel bed and laughed at herself. Of course she didn't have lipstick in her pockets; she'd stopped wearing it years ago.

"Well, I guess I can always take a different direction, though I don't remember coming to a fork in the road to travel back here." She bit down on her lower lip to think and then an idea struck her. She hadn't been given any rules to prohibit it so there was nothing to stop her from climbing up to the top of the labyrinth walls and taking a look around for the proper path, now was there?

She chose a section of the wall that had vines growing so she could use both the uneven stone blocks and the vines to climb. She tested her weight against them and, finding them sturdy, began to climb.

It seemed to take forever. No matter how high she climbed, she never seemed to get any closer to the top, though the ground gradually moved further and further away. Her arms began to ache all the way to her shoulders and neck but she refused to give up. She was almost to the top—she could _feel_ it.

Her fingers burned, straining to hold onto a particularly thick vine. Her shoulders began to shake with tension and she realized her body was failing her. No matter how close she thought she was, she wasn't going to make it.

She cursed as she allowed herself to slowly slide back down. Though by her own estimate she'd been climbing for some time—perhaps twenty minutes or so—she reached the ground in a matter of seconds, despite her slow speed.

"How?" Sarah glowered at the wall, feeling a bit betrayed. Though her mind was loathe to use the word _magic_, it had a perfectly reasonable suggestion as to why she'd failed: she wasn't going to be able to take any shortcuts through whatever problem this labyrinth was meant to represent.

Resigned at both the idea and the waste of time, she continued on. She put her hand on the wall, remembering that she'd read somewhere that if you kept your hand on a wall in a labyrinth, you'd eventually find your way out, and she began walking again. She tried not to worry about whether or not she was walking in circles; if she kept to her logical plan, she'd eventually find her way out.

She just needed to have more confidence in herself and her abilities.

Unfortunately, it seemed that confidence was one area that Sarah found herself lacking in, though she was determined to improve during her time here. It may not be why she was in the dream in the first place, but that didn't mean she couldn't work on it, too, while she was here.

As she pressed on, she didn't notice the owl flying silently overhead.


	12. Chapter 12

The labyrinth itself proved to indeed be more than vines and rocks, much to her consternation. The further she traveled within it, the less and less familiar it felt.

Familiar compared to _what_, she didn't know, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something had invariably changed.

As she walked, she remembered faintly that she'd dreamt of a library once before, when Toby had still been very young. She hadn't been able to remember most of the details, but the dream itself had haunted her for several months after.

_Perhaps that's where the feeling of familiarity comes from_, she thought to herself positively, delighted she'd found a perfectly rational explanation for the circumstances.

Still, the swamp before her seemed like it was something out of a horror film. The water itself was green and murky—and likely, she thought to herself, chalk-full of bacteria that would eat her flesh alive if it didn't kill her within minutes of contact—and there were trees growing out of it in odd, twisted shapes. Between the green pools of water were marshy paths connecting the pools, each full of giant reeds and flying insects that were as large as her hand.

"If any of those are mosquitos, just their bite alone is going to kill, let alone the amount of blood they probably need to survive," she grumbled to herself. "I wonder what they're supposed to represent in this dream of mine. If all of this is about my feelings for Justin, then what the hell do giant mosquitos have to do with anything at all?"

Predictably, she received no response except for the chortling of an owl above her. It had begun hovering over her once she'd made her way down from her pitiful attempt to scale the wall, though it had taken her a few minutes to recognize it, and she'd had the distinct feeling that the owl was amused by her plight.

"Right," she said, clapping her hands together. "Well, there doesn't seem to be a way around the swamp so through it, it is. Though I do hope none of these bugs bite."

Just in case, she picked up a thin branch from the ground, waving it around like a baseball bat. The weight was a bit off at the end, but it was better than nothing if she was forced to fight off giant killer bugs.

"Couldn't take the easy route, could you, Sarah? No, even your dreams have to be complicated," she groused as she took her first step into the murky water. "Couldn't dream yourself wearing waders, either. Bah. This dream revelation better be worth it or I'll be twice the fool I am now."

Privately, she suspected Justin would be amused by her dreaming and so she resolved not to tell him about this one.

She began maneuvering through the water towards one of the marshes when she felt something slimy brush past her bare leg as she shuddered in revulsion.

She looked down to see what had brushed past her only to find a giant tubular fish swimming right at her, its mouth gaping wide to show off several rows of very, very sharp teeth.

Sarah didn't bother to hang onto her composure. She screeched and ran as fast as she could in the waist deep water, scrambling and slipping about as she tried to make her way onto the damp marsh ground ahead of her.

The fish, whatever it was, didn't seem inclined to let her go. It sped quicker towards her, biting down several times with a horribly loud crunch sound.

She realized in a moment that she wasn't going to read the marsh in time. Instead, she turned and brought her branch up as high as she could and, as the fish came into range, slammed it down, hard, on top of its head.

It blinked at her, dazed.

She whacked it several more times for good measure, continuing until her arms were shaking from exhaustion, and didn't stop until the fish reluctantly began backing away from her. A moment later, she realized it was beginning to charge.

Without thought, she reached for the peach she'd plucked before she'd left the peach tree the second time she'd seen it. She'd figured that, though she hated the fruit, it would come in handy if she ended up feeling hunger or thirst in this place, but now she had a different idea in mind.

As the fish made its way back over to her again, charging with a ferocity that belied her own ferocious assault moments before, she threw the peach into its mouth.

The fish closed its jaw reflexively, chewing on the fruit for a moment before its expression seemed to soften. It munched happily on the fruit, turning to leave her to make her own way in peace.

Sarah watched it go with mild relief. The last time she'd been here, she'd resolved most of her problems without fighting and it seemed that was the case now, too. That, or the combination of her attack and the peach had convinced the fish that the food it received from her was all it was likely to get.

Either way, she resolved not to just react to any new situations she encountered. Since speed was her goal, she would simply have to concentrate on finding the most expedient solution possible.

.

Jareth watched as Sarah scrambled onto the marshy land and tried unsuccessfully to navigate the swamp without stumbling about. He was impressed by her quick thinking—it seemed that Sarah hadn't lost her touch with her ability to touch the native beings of his labyrinth, for the lockjaw fish she'd fought was happily munching on one of Jareth's forbidden peaches as it gave Sarah an enamored look.

But then, he reminded himself in amusement, what else did he expect of his champion? Sarah had always had a knack for unusual solutions and that, he found himself delighted to learn, hadn't changed no matter how differently she seemed now.

Though she tried to hide it, she'd just proved that somewhere the brave, proud, cunning Sarah he knew was still hiding with her.

He just had to help her draw that Sarah back out to blend with the mature and witty Sarah that he knew now. He found that he was equally fascinated by both and what was more, Sarah needed both parts of her to be whole once more.

Whether or not she was willing to admit that to herself.


	13. Chapter 13

Having left the water, Sarah made her way for the forest that lay at the edge of the swamp. Her only other option lay in the opposite direction and she couldn't imagine that the labyrinth would end in mountains. It just didn't fit.

She remained alert as she began racing through the trees, both to ensure that she didn't trip and fall on any roots or rocks and also because she didn't know what to expect in the first place. She hadn't been in the labyrinth long and already she'd encountered man-eating fish and biting faeries.

Whatever her subconscious dream was trying to tell her, it certainly wasn't trying to be direct about it.

She stopped short when she saw smoke in the distance.

_Fire?_ She stared at the smoke blankly, feeling like it was somehow familiar. _Then again, fire is bad. Aren't you supposed to run in the opposite direction of it? Well, better safe than sorry, I suppose._

She turned on her heel and darted off to run parallel to the fire in the distance, planning to change direction if it appeared to be coming closer. She didn't want to lose all of her hard work by simply turning around, especially when it meant that she was returning either to a swamp where fish wanted to eat her or a mountain that was, in all likelihood, a dead end.

"Okay, so fire," she muttered to herself as she slowed to a jog. She wasn't young anymore and she couldn't run for long periods of time without getting seriously winded. "What does fire mean?"

The man-eating fish and biting faeries probably represented her own fears holding her back. After all, the fish had appeared to be more dangerous than it was—a simple peach had fended it off—so it was probably trying to tell her to face her fears. She'd overcome it by simply facing it head on.

But the fire was harder to understand.

"Smoke can be a warning." She mulled over what she knew about fire, grateful that—for the moment, at least—it didn't seem to be gaining on her. If anything, it seemed like she was effective in increasing the distance between herself and whatever was burning. "Fire can also warm someone if they're cold and it keeps away predators. Humans mastered fire and were able to advance. It can also serve as a signal for help or some other message."

So, what did _this_ fire symbolize? Help or hinderance?

She snorted after a moment. "I sound like my therapist," she grumbled under her breath. "Figuring out why there's fire won't help me wake up any faster, now will it?"

She pressed on, racing through the forest until she came to what appeared to be a pile of cobblestones at the end. It looked as if there had once been a grand stone building there, but now all that stood was a pile of rubble.

Sarah approached it cautiously.

A loud noise reverberated through the area, causing her to drop to her knees as a large stone golem appeared from the rubble. _No_, she realized, it _was_ the rubble.

The golem towered above her, standing about two stories tall as it glowered down at her from crystalline eyes. "Mine," it said curtly, its voice a low rumble that shook the land around it. "All mine."

She licked her dry lips. "I apologize," she said, thinking quickly. "I didn't mean to intrude, Mr. Golem." She was quick to apologize and address it politely, hoping that in doing so, she wouldn't anger something powerful enough to swat her like a bug. "I was just passing through on my way to the castle."

She pointed to the large castle that loomed in the distance—a castle that she was certain was at the heart of the labyrinth.

The golem blinked slowly and she wasn't sure if it was because it wasn't as quick to think or if it simply couldn't understand why she'd want to go to the castle in the first place. "This is not the way to the castle," it finally replied after a moment.

"Oh." Well, that didn't sound promising at all. "Well, if you point me in the right direction, I'll be on my way."

The golem shook its head. "It does not work like that."

Sarah pressed her lips together, a little annoyed that the golem didn't bother to explain. "Alright," she said after a moment. "Well, how does it work?"

The golem just stared at her, unblinking.

She sighed heavily. "I'm Sarah," she said, unsure what prompted her to offer her name like it was some kind of solution. "What's your name?"

The golem blinked slowly once again. "No name."

Well, of all the possibilities, Sarah hadn't expected _that_. "Every living thing has a name." She offered the golem a smile. "If you don't have one, we'll simply have to come up with one for you."

"No name," the golem repeated more forcefully.

_I guess being friendly won't win me anything here._

She took a step around the golem and it immediately shifted to follow her. She tried stepping another direction, as if to leave, and once again, the golem mirrored her movements, preventing her from leaving._ It seems moving around it won't be an option, either. _

"Mr. Golem, I have thirteen hours to solve this labyrinth." Unbidden, her hands went to her hips. "I won't let you or anyone else stop me."

She wasn't sure why she was so determined to solve this labyrinth but suddenly it felt like a fire had been lit within her and the old, competitive Sarah was back in fighting form. She'd said she'd do it and so she _would_.

"I want to know exactly where I need to go to solve this thing." Her tone was firm as she gave the golem a level stare.

The golem met her gaze, unflinching, and then turned slightly to point to a series of floating rocks that she'd only just noticed behind it.

"Those rocks," it grated out, its voice rumbling through her. "Move them."

She gaped. "By _myself_? To where?"

The golem pointed with one large, stony finger to another pile of rocks some distance away. "There. Make brother."

"Your brother?" She ran a hand through her head as the golem nodded slowly, and suddenly she realized that the golem must be lonely out here on its own. It made sense that it would want company and she supposed she couldn't blame it for wanting help in doing so.

Still, the task was daunting. She looked at the floating stones and then the pile of rocks, unsure where to start. The rocks were higher off the ground than she could reach. They came in all shapes and sizes, like the cobblestones that made up the golem before her. It could easily take her all day to complete the task and that was time she simply didn't have to offer.

This, she realized, was not going to be an easy task. Sarah could only sigh, but she saw no other choice but to help the golem before her.


End file.
